Oil, natural gas and coal are a source of fossil fuels and major sources of energy in the United States. These materials are also used to create gasoline and diesel fuel which provide energy for most forms of transportation and for synthetic materials, plastics and pharmaceuticals. However, these natural sources are being depleted rapidly. The increasing populations and the increased standards of living and demands for energy in developing countries are putting increased pressure on our diminishing fossil fuel resources and making them even more costly. Whereas coal reserves may last for another two or three centuries, readily accessible oil and gas reserves may not last that long. It therefore would be beneficial to provide readily accessible alternative sources of fuel using a non-depleted source.
Using hydrogen as an alternative fuel source has been discussed, for example by generating hydrogen using electrolysis. By utilizing hydrogen gas to provide energy to fuel cells or in a combustion process, electricity may be generated. While hydrogen is a clean source of combustion fuel, hydrogen has certain undesired attributes due to its volatility and reactive characteristics. Storing, transporting and delivering energy in the form of hydrogen has serious limitations. The handling of the volatile and potentially explosive material requires special conditions such as high pressure, cryogenic tanks and special materials to minimize diffusion and leakage. In addition, hydrogen must be handled carefully to avoid injury and damage, increasing the overall cost of the material. In order to dispense and utilize gaseous hydrogen, additional infrastructure may also be needed to produce, transport, store and dispense the hydrogen gas. Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide an alternative liquid hydrocarbon fuel product which can use existing infrastructure for production, transportation, storage and dispensing and which is not as volatile as hydrogen.
Processes for the conversion of (gaseous) hydrocarboneceous feedstocks, especially methane from natural sources, e.g. natural gas and/or coalbed methane, into liquid products, especially methanol and liquid hydrocarbons, are generally known. At ambient temperature and pressure, these hydrocarbons may be gaseous, liquid or (often) solid. However, these processes typically require transportation of the gaseous feedstocks which presents its own safety concerns and is similar to those of hydrogen. Transportation of the gas, e.g. through a pipeline or in the form of a liquefied natural gas, requires an extremely high capital expenditure or may simply not be practical. This holds true for low volume gas producers and/or fields. In addition, the burning of some gases has become an undesired option in view of the depletion of hydrocarbon sources, global warming and air pollution.
Annually, more than 20 billion tons of CO2 are released into the atmosphere as a result of human activity, including electrical generation, industrial processes, transportation, and heating and cooling. In addition, when hydrocarbons are burned they produce CO2 and water, adding to the build-up of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases which may contribute to global warming. While photosynthesis from increased terrestrial biomass may help decrease the effects of these excess greenhouse gases, it is not expected to keep up with rates of CO2 production. Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide a chemical synthesis reaction which reverses or stabilizes the build-up of CO2 and produces efficient and economical hydrocarbons and materials from CO2 and water.
In contrast to hydrogen, methanol, or other liquid oxygenated hydrocarbon, CO2 may be relatively easy to produce, simple, safe and easy to store and transport and may be easily converted to light chain hydrocarbons. It would therefore be beneficial to provide a system and method to produce light chain hydrocarbons from readily available sources without causing further harm to the environment and which does not require the transportation of gaseous feedstocks which are potentially unsafe and which may be expensive.